


Enduring

by samcroqueen



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Online Roleplay, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Original Fiction, Roleplay, Roleplay Logs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 18:58:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19179430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samcroqueen/pseuds/samcroqueen
Summary: Weeks before the council summit is set to meet for the official signing of the Sokovia accords in Vienna, We find Elizabeth Stark in Bucharest. The death of her best friend some weeks before and her sudden jump into parenthood taking a toll.Having meant for it to be her last holiday before her life as she knew it would change forever.None could have predicted however that she would encounter a certain Solider, a figure who has changed her life in more ways than one.(Based off a current ongoing Roleplay On Facebook with my Roleplay partnerVęrgıl Spårđå, Will in the future update to a proper novel but for the time being is composed of individual replies. Implied that Bucky Raised Tony as a young boy)





	1. Contact

**(BUCKY)**

_What was once can never be again. •_

Hiding.

Hiding from them.

Hiding from the truth.

Hiding from himself.

That's all he knew how to do in this turning point in his life. To hide from everything.

James Buchanan Barnes was buried deep. Bucky was buried just as deep. The Winter Soldier was just beneath the surface. He was a hybrid mix of the three. All three identities were at war with each other. The good battling the bad, one identity trying to dominate over the other. What was left was a broken confused shell of a man with the weight of the whole world resting upon his battered shoulders. Crippling anxiety, reclusive, severe PTSD, insomnia, night terrors, flashbacks, old memories that felt foreign. Once a great war hero turned into a weapon then left an abused mess.

He had been picking up the pieces of his old life slowly. Bit by little bloody jagged bit. He only emerged from his shitty apartment to feed himself when he got low on food. Always staying holed up. Again he found himself with his chin tucked close to his chest as he carefully ventured out for food and essentials. The Soldier in him made him hyper-aware of everything around him, giving him escape routes, pinpointing ways to eliminate a target. The old him tried his best to calm his stretched raw nerves but failed miserably.

The man was in the middle of an eternal war though he seemed calm and collective on the exterior. Dead steel blue eyes flickered over the market place searching for any sign of a threat. Luckily he found none as he proceeded to the same route he took religiously. As he reached the fruit stand ran by an older woman that had grown fond of the silent man, he bumped into someone. It took him half a second to realize what he had done. Immediately he was taking a few steps back to assess the damage he had done to the small body his much larger one had collided with.

Blue met familiar brown. He knew those eyes. A haunting gruesome memory of him killing a man and woman oh so many years ago flashed before his eyes. Blinking he saw the couple merged into a beautiful young woman staring up at him. She had spoken but he was deaf from the flashback. James' chest suddenly grew tight. His was on the verge of an anxiety attack. His breathing picked up quickly as his heart erratically beat in his chest. Clinching his jaw tightly he quickly ducked his head and sidestepped the woman.

He hadn't meant for the interaction to be rude, and he wanted to apologize for running into her but he just couldn't find it in himself to do it. His mouth refused to open and his voice lost in his throat.

 

**(LIZ)**

She couldn't believe they had gone and written the accords, that wasn't true she could believe it she just didn't want to, but that they'd had the audacity to call them the Sokovia Accords no less; even worse she couldn't believe that Tony was behind them and supporting the notion that they should all sign it, Elizabeth understood that he still had much guilt for what had transpired in Sokovia but she couldn't understand how he'd be willing to sign away his rights so quickly.

She'd already read through the first copy of the accords whilst sitting in the hospital, it seemed the world was a fan of dumping the shit on them at every available moment, first S.H.I.E.L.D being taken down from the inside by HYDRA a shock to everyone, then Tony and Bruce had thought it a brilliant idea to create ULTRON, landing them in their current troubles and then.... Then Lisa had had her accident and Elizabeth suddenly found herself becoming a mother the sudden responsibility of caring for a child; yes, her biological child through complicated circumstances, but it was still a frightening and painful shock to the system, wiping out everything else that had been going on, taking priority over everything.

Despite all that life was still going on around her calling for her attention, despite how much she'd like to fall into a heap and allow the depression and crippling anxiety to overwhelm and swallow her whole making her useless to everyone else.

So she'd travelled to Bucharest, only for a week or two in order to prepare and scope out the area for the summit meeting that would take place in a matter of weeks, it was overkill she knew that but she wanted to be prepared for every eventuality it was also the last time she'd be able to holiday on her own, with the small infant still in the care of the hospital for another 2 weeks at the least it allowed her a small amount of time to get her final affairs in order before her life took a full 180 on her.

She'd forgotten just how cold Bucharest could be this time of year, the winter coat she wore doing very little to keep out the chill wind that had picked up as she surveyed the fruit stand, the red apples having caught her eye from across the street.

"JESUS..." a solid weight collides with her side and sends her teetering, only just catching herself on the edge of the fruit cart.

"I'm so sorry" she's quick to apologize, turning to face the solid weight that had collided with her only to find him staring down at her with intense eyes, easily towering over her his dark hair falls over his face and a short dark beard hides the bottom portion of his face from her.

"Are you okay?..." his silence prevails, her eyes flick over him quickly the doctor in her mentally assessing him his silence is as unsettling as his intense gaze.

Elizabeth reaches out a hand to grasp his arm firmly "Sir are you okay?"

 

**(BUCKY)**

The very moment her dainty hand reached out and touched his bulky bicep, he spun on a dime gripping her hand a little too tightly. The Soldier was screaming at him to break her wrist before snapping her little neck. The man he once was was screaming even louder telling him to calm down. Haunted blue eyes stared intensely down into those familiar chocolate hues. Fear, anxiety, and confusion danced around in his ocean depths. He hadn't realized his own hand was shaking still gripping her's.

And apparently, his movements had caused quite a few people to stare at them in wonder. Slowly and carefully he released the woman's hand before dropping his arm back to his side. Ever since he had been on the run from HYDRA he made minimal contact with people. So his social skills were nonexistent. "I'm sorry.." he mumbled almost vulnerable.

Eyes flickered up to her face once more as he put the pieces together as to where he knew her eyes from. Names and faces of people he had killed or seen in his unusually long life filtered through his mind. One name stuck out more than the rest.

Stark.

Howard and Maria Stark. Anthony Stark. Iron Man.

This woman had to be of relation somehow. There was no doubt about it. Was she a part of the Avengers? An agent out of work because of S.H.I.E.L.D's downfall? Quickly he assessed her once more. She didn't look like any of those, but he knew looks could be deceiving.

 

**(LIZ)**

She doesn't have to know anything about the man before her to know that the unmistakably strong grip on her hand is threatening, but also that clearly her touch has set him off and was a clear mistake, the quick flittering of emotions on his face and his reaction to being touched to make her think he must be ex-army or something similar, she'd met plenty of guys who would react the exact same way at the smallest of touches.

The small gathering of people does little to distract her as she slowly slides her hand from his much larger one, maintaining eye contact until her hand drops to her side and he turns away from her

"No, no it's okay" she reassures him quickly, sparing a moment to glance at the small onlooking crowed

"uh look let me buy you a cup of coffee or something, I was clearly in the way and you look like you could use it....." she mutters softly

 

**(BUCKY)**

Her reassurance did little to ease his mind. He was always on high alert. One had to be when trying to survive and stay under the radar. James couldn't let his guard down, not even while he slept. Anything could happen at any given moment. He knew that and was prepared for it. A skill he had honed in after years of training, he could handle Anything thrown at him, sadly.   
  
The offer for coffee almost made him chuckle. That was a very Stark thing to say. After knowing Howard, raising Tony, and now knowing this woman was kin somehow; the Starks and their love for coffee. The corner of his mouth twitched and a ghost of a smile filtered through for a brief moment though it was gone just as quickly as it came. Again his gaze shifted from the woman to their surroundings subtly. Again he was looking for any kind of threats. The sound of a car horn sounded loudly in the air near them causing the man to physically flinch violently.   
  
His right hand had slipped behind his back to where his pistol was kept in the waistband of his jeans. Gloved fingers touched the grip of the weapon before he found the strength in him to settle down. Slowly his hand slipped away from the gun. He weighed the options. To go with this woman and accept her offer, or to just walk away while he still could. With a deep inhale then heavy exhale, he made his decision.   
  
"Okay.." He nodded almost shyly.

 

**(LIZ)**

With a reassuring smile, Elizabeth goes to turn off in the direction of the coffee shop across the street, halting quickly as a hand slaps to her forehead and an exasperated groan falls from her lips

"Forgot something, sorry" she grinned, casting him a quick sideways glace ass she turns back to the lady running the fruit stand, the old lady giving her a wide toothy smile.

"Pot să cumpăr o jumătate de duzină de mere și o jumătate de duzină de prune vă rog doamnă"  
 _'Can I please buy a half dozen of your apples and a half dozen of your plums please madam'_  
The little old lady's grin somehow manages to widen even further at Elizabeth's request in almost perfect Romanian.

It takes only a few minutes for her to finish bagging the fruit before she hands them over the counter and into Elizabeth's outstretched hands

"Prunele pe care le poți avea gratis, draga mea."  
 _'The plums you can have for free my dear'_  she says with a cheeky grin, a long finger lifting to point at the tall stranger beside her

"Acestea sunt favoritele sale"   
_'They are his favourites'_

Elizabeth takes a peek over her shoulder at the dark-haired stranger beside her, finding him seemingly listening to the conversation but quickly ducks her head away when his eyes meet hers.

She hands over the money without issue and turns back to her silent brooding companion

"Right uh coffee, this way" she indicates to the coffee shop across the street 

 

**(BUCKY)**

His fight or flight kicked in when she announced she forgot something. Maybe this had been a bad idea all along like he thought. But he was taken aback when the woman went to the elder woman who often gave him plums that had a sweet spot for him. Lidia was her name. She often called him cățeluș, it meant puppy. Always said he had this beaten puppy look to him. James didn't mind it for the most part.

As the two women conversated he moved a bit closer to hear them. It was rude to eavesdrop but he didn't care. Knowing at least eight languages, James was able to easily keep up with the conversation. Knowing he was a topic he watched the pair silently. Blue met brown again as the woman peeked over her shoulder to him. She seemed embarrassed now for some reason that confused him. But he didn't question it.

As she turned to lead him to the coffee shop, James followed quietly. "You didn't have to get those for me." He told her softly. It had been the most he had said in a long while, so his voice was more gravelly than usual from lack of use.

 

**(LIZ)**

Laughing Elizabeth pulled an apple from the bag, admiring the colour before placing it back and turning to her gruff companion shrugging her shoulder as they stepped off the road and onto the footpath

"If you don't want them, I have a great plum pie recipe," she said Nonchalantly, an arm reaching out to hold open the door for him, the warm comforting aroma of the coffee shop embracing them as they stepped inside.

Coffee was a necessity, somedays it was all she drank, a bad habit yes but a tasty one when made right. She had found the little coffee shop her first day in Bucharest and had been frequenting it multiple times a day earning more than a few raised eyebrows from the owner.

"And I believe in Karma so I'm sure my good deed will find its way back to me somehow," she said with a smile, the two taking up a small table the furthermost corner of the small café.

Another glance at his face had her gut pinching, there was something so familiar about him, but she just couldn't put her finger on it, so much for a photographic memory.

"I'm Elizabeth...Stark by the way, although everyone either calls me Liz or Beth so...." She offered her hand out to him awkwardly

 

**(BUCKY)**

A brow arched at the sound coming from her. Was that laughter? He hadn't heard it in so long that he forgot what it even sounded like. James had to admit it sounded lovely coming from the woman. "I never said I didn't want them... Just that you didn't have to get them for me.." he defended himself and the plums.  
  
As she opened the door he stopped. His body moved as if on autopilot taking the door from her so she could enter before him. It was rude for a woman to hold the door open for a man. It was something burned into his moral code and memory from a life he was struggling to remember. "Ladies first." He mumbled then followed her inside.   
  
After ordering a plain black coffee he then took a seat at the table she leads them to. Karma? James didn't believe in such a thing. But to each their own. With his bloodied hands he'd never receive good karma. His gaze shifted around the space of the coffee shop looking for exits and threats. The sound of her voice he snapped his eyes back to her. Elizabeth Stark? Where had he heard that name before? It then all fell into place.   
  
She was Tony's little sister. The only that had been shipped off to England. The boy had spoken about her a few times though she was several years younger than him. It then dawned on him that he had to tell her his name. Fuck.   
  
"James.." he grumbled softly before fiddling with his gloved fingers trying to focus on something rather than the anxiety that started to creep it's way back into his chest.

 

**(LIZ)**

Her hand drops awkwardly to her side and quickly slips into her pocket, her fingers finding purchase on the small black stress ball she carried at all time, a small relaxed sigh falls from her lips.

Their coffees finally arrive at the table and Elizabeth quickly cradles the hot beverage in her cold hands, eyes shutting, a small smile playing on her lips as she inhaled the smell of fresh coffee.

"Nice to meet you James" the smile at the corner of her mouth growing as she takes her first sip of coffee, pure heaven in a cup.

The café chatters around them setting an ambience that Elizabeth finds relaxing almost peaceful, except that James has that same far off look in his eyes that she'd seen back at the fruit stand.

"So, tell me, James," she paused, hoping that engaging him in conversation would pull him away from wherever his mind had suddenly taken him.

"Because I do love to pry into other business, are you here travelling? Cause your accent is most definitely not Romanian, in fact..." She trailed off, setting her mug down a determined look on her features as she studied him.

"I would have to guess that you are in fact from Brooklyn," she said almost gleefully

 

**(BUCKY)**

As the waiter delivered their drinks he held onto the mug. Steel blue eyes glaring at the dark liquid as if it offended him somehow. It was Elizabeth's voice that brought him back to the world of the living. Had she said it was nice to meet him? How? He was a weapon. A broken shell of a man. Something entirely different. Nodding since he didn't know his to respond, James then lifted the mug to take a sip.

Slipping back into his own little world as he tried to shift through memories trying to pick out more information about the woman that Tony had given him. It was her prying that made him look up at her. Though his accent was mainly Brooklyn there was a hint of Russian from the many years of living there.

"No.. I live here. In a life I once knew.. I lived in Brooklyn. But that was a.. very long time ago." He awkwardly grumbled as he focused his stare at the coffee. "You were born American but your accent sounds English. Cockney if were to guess. But you still have that American tone to some of your words." He stated offhandedly. Slowly he was becoming more comfortable around her but not enough to really matter.

 

**(LIZ)**

Elizabeth goes to laugh but it somehow turns into an odd mix of laughter and a very un-lady like snort that has her slapping a hand over her mouth, only furthering her laughter.

"Yes Born and bred American," she laughs again, this time into her coffee mug, eyes just peeking over the rim

"But I spent most of my childhood in a boarding school in England......" the thought of her childhood sobers her, she had few memories of her parents, more of her mother than her father. Once she'd been old enough they'd shipped her off at a moment's notice she'd only been five at the time, the day they dropped her off was the last time their family had been together, last time she'd seen her parents. And then they'd died, there hadn't been many tears to shed and Tony had been a rock beside her, the both of them agreeing it would be best if Elizabeth returned to England, she'd been more reluctant to leave Tony than she had her parents.

Elizabeth lets out an awkward cough, wiping the side of her face before draining the remains of her coffee. A café was hardly the place the be soppy and sentimental about her past, the stress ball in her pocket receives a brutal squeeze, the pinching in her gut now much more persistent.

"I should probably get going before the rain gets much worse," she says suddenly, placing a few bills on the table along with the bag of plums as she slides out from her chair

"It was nice to meet you James" she calls over her shoulder, moving quickly towards the café door and out into the rain.

 

**(BUCKY)**

Had he said something funny? He didn't think so but didn't question it. The sound of her laughing, though the snort was very awkward, gave him a sense of calm. How... odd. He hadn't felt this... Ever? Quietly he listened to what she had to say as if he was hanging on every word that left her lips.   
  
Before he knew it she was leaving out the door into the rain. When had it started to rain? Huh... He had found himself so enamoured with Elizabeth that he had ignored the weather. Great... That meant he was going to be sopping wet when he got back to his shit hole apartment.   
  



	2. Two Truths, One lie

**(BUCKY)**  
It had been a few days since their chance meeting. James had taken a chance to explore the city some more while it was pretty out. He had travelled all over the world but never got to experience the beauty of new places. As he walked down the street with his hands stuffed into his pockets he noticed familiar brunette hair.

 _Elizabeth_  
  
Again he risked it all as he approached her. The woman was sitting on a bench enjoying the sun while it was warmer out. Carefully he sat next to her. "We meet again." He softly greeted as he looked over at her taking in her beauty.

 

**(LIZ)**

The weather had thankfully changed for the better and for the first time in almost a week she ventured out and into the sun, determined to enjoy the sights the country had to offer before the sunshine once again became grey and lifeless.

She'd been watching a gaggle of children playing the in-park ahead of her when Tony had called with the News, Her godmother and Namesake their Aunt Peggy had once again taken a turn for the worse.

Peggy had been Elizabeth's inspiration growing up and had played more of a mother role in the young girl's life than her own birth mother ever had. Peggy had been there for almost every birthday, called her on the ones she couldn't make, had given Elizabeth her first gun and had taught her just about everything.

Her Conversation with Tony is short and to the point, starts and ends quickly, she's suddenly quite grateful for the bench underneath her as she's not sure her legs would withstand the weight of such news.

The sun does little to warm her as a stranger gingerly takes a seat beside her.   
 _'We meet again'_

She cracks a single eye open to look in his direction, forcing herself to smile at him before hastily wiping the remaining tears from her cheek

"Hello again stranger, Fancy meeting you here" he looks a little less dishevelled than he did the first time they met, the beard is still there and the hair just as long but his face doesn't seem as grim and tired, his shoulders look less weighed down by some imaginary burden, perhaps it was the weather.

 

**(BUCKY)**

It didn't take a genius to know she had been crying. For the reason she was shedding tears was unknown to him but he didn't push her. If she wanted to share then he'd listen.

"I was just passing by and saw you sitting here... Thought I'd say hello." He awkwardly grumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Today was a good day. It was rare for him to have good days like this. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was seeing her again that caused such a reaction from him.

"It's not often that it's pretty put like this during this time of year. Might as well enjoy it, right?" He mused though it was more to himself rather than her.

 

**(LIZ)**

She alters her posture so that she's more turned towards him, crosses and uncrosses her legs before fixing the long skirt she wore across her legs and gives her face another wipe over just to make sure not stray tears remained, his sudden appearance was a welcome distraction.

Quietly she listens and nods along to his words, quite unsure of herself having been caught in a moment of variability, the little bits of lint on her skirt have suddenly become fascinating.

"Do you ever miss Brooklyn?" she inquires out of nowhere, a hand lifts to shield her eyes from the sun as she watches him.

"I miss England more than I miss New York, the bustling streets and crowds of people...." added then making a noise of disgust "I miss the quiet of the countryside"

The fiddling with her skirt grows worse as she debates whether to speak the words, the truth she'd been faced with days before, the truth of the matter having weighed on her, knowing now that if she didn't speak now she'd not have the chance to do so again.

"I know who you are...James.....I knew who you were that day in the café" she says in one great big exhale like saying the words aloud had suddenly lifted a great weight off her chest.

 

**(BUCKY)**

He hadn't been looking at her when she turned to face him, rather watching the children playing in the field just before them. The question caused a sigh to come from him. Did he miss Brooklyn? He couldn't say for certain because he didn't remember much of it. Only bits and pieces.

"I'm not sure... I guess? Do you miss England?" He asked. The answer he got made sense. He was sure if he could remember his life before then maybe he'd miss his home more. But for now, he didn't belong anywhere. No place to call home.

The next words that fell from her lips caused his blood to run cold. Immediately he tensed up still he refused to look at her. How did she know who he was since they had never met before the other day? Slowly his gaze met her's. The fear was evident in those dull blue eyes of his. "How..? Who do you work for? Did Hydra send you? What's left of S.H.I.E.L.D?" James was becoming panicky now.

 

**(LIZ)**

She all but shrinks under his cold, fearful and piercing gaze, but with a surge of bravery she reaches out a hand to grasp one of his own, maintaining eye contact as she spoke.

  
"I don't work for anyone, I don't work for S.H.I.E.L.D, I most definitely don't work for Hydra" she can feel a slight tremor in his hand and her heart aches for him. Steve had shared many a story with her about his youth, how he'd first met James after some bullies had tried to steal his lunch money. In those stories Elizabeth could easily picture the tall, handsome strapping young man dealing blows against those who had wronged his friend, it was a stark and sad contrast to the shadow of a man who sat beside her.

It hadn't taken much effort to find out everything about him, every S.H.I.E.L.D file, all the documents her father had kept, in the short space of time since they'd first met she'd done her research. 

  
"I'm just plain old Elizabeth Stark" she told him firmly, giving his hand an extra squeeze "None knows, I swear.......not even Steve" the tremor in his hand has become slightly more violent, it surprises them both when she captures his other hand in his and all but pulls his body to face her, the most sincere expression upon her face as brown eyes stared and searched for some sign of understanding in his own cold blue eyes

"You can trust me James...," a soft hand reaches up to cup the side of his face, the dark rough beard scratching her palm

"You don't have to hide from me"

 

**(BUCKY)**

The small movement of her reaching out for him had his eyes and head snapping in her direction. Her physical touch had him recoiling but he forced himself to stay still. He knew Tony cared a lot about him, and he hadn't done anything to her.. Wait.. He had ruthlessly killed her parents. Maybe she was vengeful over the action that wasn't his own?   
  
The Soldier whispered to him all the vital and fatal pinpoints to her small body that he could attack to kill her. The heavily Russian accented voice growled in his head, yet Bucky was trying to soothe frayed nerves. It resulted in him to being to tremble out of fear.  
  
The squeezing of his hand did little to reassure him. No, he wanted to run as far away as he could but something kept him rooted in place. Steve? That triggered something in him that caused his shaking to become worse. Steve was someone he once knew, someone he had saved many times over, someone he tried to kill multiple times. Steve was his mission at one point in time. He was someone he owed a huge apology to but yet he was terrified to face the man he once called his best friend.   
  
To his surprise, Elizabeth took both his hands in her's. Metal and flesh were carefully grasped into her small dainty hands. His fight or flight was still high but the moment he caught her eyes and she caressed his face a sense of calm washed over him. James hadn't experienced tender affection like this since the nineteen-forties. He truly wanted to believe her. It shocked him, to say the least. He hadn't trusted anyone but Tony in a long time, but he wanted to trust her.   
  
"Okay.." he whispered on the verge of tears as his shaking lessened though still remained.

 

**(LIZ)**

She lets out a breath of relief, not realising she'd been holding her breath waiting for his relation, would he lash out, would he try to kill her, would he be understanding, had she just signed her death certificate.

This was a gamble she knew that. Knew that it wouldn't take much for him to simply lean over, wrap his hands around her neck and crush her windpipe, but despite having known him for so little a time, somehow a part of her knew he wouldn't, couldn't.

The vulnerability in his eyes is haunting and for a moment she's lost for words for the first time ever. They sit there for a while her hand still clutching his, the cool metal a stark reminder of his ability to overpower her if he wanted, her other hand still awkwardly pressed to his cheek her thump wiping a stray tear away.

"How about a cup of coffee" she sighed a hint of a smile at the corner of her lips

 

**(BUCKY)**

A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth at the offer for coffee. Tony did the same thing. When things go awkward or he didn't know how to comfort the super soldier, he'd offer coffee. Elizabeth was very much like her brother, though way prettier.   
  
"Yeah... Coffee is good." He said airily as his flesh hand reached up to cup over her hand. Pressing her palm flush against his cheek. The softness of her hand felt nice against his skin.   
  
Soon enough he pulled her hand from his face then stood up. Gloved fingers were still wrapped around her hand as he helped her stand up. As they walked down the sidewalk he still hadn't dropped her hand. It was as if the contact anchored him.

 

**(LIZ)**

The two fall into a comfortable silence as they walk, hands still comfortably entwined, for the first time since they'd met Elizabeth doesn't feel as though she's waiting for the inevitable bomb to go off. Couples, families, children and the elderly pass my then as they casually stroll along to anyone else they were just another normal couple enjoying what was left of the warm weather.

As they walked a part of Elizabeth hoped he hadn't seen the way her cheeks had grown red at the way he'd pressed her hand further against his cheek, the gesture had served to reassure her that she hadn't done anything wrong but it had surprised her that he had almost encouraged it.

She wondered what Tony would say or what any of her friends would say if they could see them now, no doubt Tony would chastise her for or even tease her for being so forward, and Steve....the thought of the tall Captain had the guilt she'd been pushing aside for the past few days rearing its ugly head inside of her. Steve who had been Searching for ages for his companion, the two of them even having spent nights together scouring the internet and records for sightings of his friend his eyes filled with ever more sadness with each dead end or loose thread, she should have told him days ago.

A part of her knows she'll regret the action later on but she still chooses to slip her hand from James, quickly slipping her hand deep into the recess of her pocket, shame burning in her cheeks.

 

**(BUCKY)**

The walk to the cafe was comfortable. Something James hadn't felt in a while. Relaxed calm. It was nice, almost too nice. He was still waiting for something to go wrong at any given moment. Steel blue eyes flickered over each face they passed, it was subtle but he was still on high alert. Hyper-focused on everything around him.   
  
So when her hand slipped from his own he knew something was wrong. Immediately his gaze zeroed in on the young woman strolling next to him. Reading her in mere seconds James knew she was ashamed about something and that scared him because she knew who he was. Fighting the urge to bolt, James slowed his gait and kept his gaze focused on her.   
  
"Everything okay,  _Iza_..?" The super soldier asked softly. Delicately. It was odd for someone made into a mindless obedient weapon with a kill record out of this world to be so fragile towards another person.   
  
Coming to the same cafe they went to the first time, he held the door open for Elizabeth and got them the same table as last time. "You're not going to walk out on me this time, are you?" He asked though there was a hint of teasing by the shimmer in his eyes and the ghost of a grin tugging at his mouth.

 

**(LIZ)**

It's impossible not to feel his steely gaze on her as her hand slips from his, let alone ignore it as he continues to burn a hole through her steel resolve with those icy blue eyes.   
  
The unusual nickname makes her cheeks burn.  
  
"It's nothing, I'm fine" she lies flashing him a small smile, hoping it would be enough to convince him, guilt and shame bubble away inside her as they step inside the coffee shop, she was supposed to be gaining his trust not lying through her teeth.   
  
Her guilt melts a little and she finds herself unable to stop the small smile that tugs at the corner of her lips as he teases her, teeth tugging on her bottom lip as they sit down at the small table.  
  
"I promise.....No running this time" 


End file.
